My first bolt gun!
Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 3:37 pm
I can already hear it..." A 16" 308 is useless, wrong scope on that, waste of money, blah, blah..." 
So... I recently decided that I need to learn some new life skills and face new challenges, so I made the decision that I'm going to take up hunting this year. Because shooting, judging distance, comeups, and getting your own food supply are what everyone does when they want a challenge, right?
I went out and got a Ruger Gunsite Scout, because I thought it looked cool, it didn't feel chintzy when I worked the bolt, and it was light (this is the newer, non-laminate version). The trigger felt right, and the rifle called to me, so the decision was made. Oh, and Hornady REALLY did their job marketing their ammo well- I looked around, and was like "Whoa, Deer!" and grabbed a box of Hornady 150gr 308 Whitetail ammo. Boom.
So the only time I can remember zeroing a rifle, he had a laser bore sighter, and we did the process fairly easily. We'll call it idiot proof. This time... not so much. Idiocy was definitely a factor. Even shooting at 25 yards, the first two shots were complete goners. I had no clue where the hell they went. The person next to me must have seen the puzzled look on my face, because he asked what was up. I told him I was trying to zero this new rifle, but couldn't get on paper- even at 25! He asked if I boresighted it, to which I replied I didn't have a laser boresighter. He told me to pull out the bolt, find the target through the barrel, and without moving the rifle AT ALL, look through the scope, and see where the crosshairs are. "Oh.....WAY HIGH."
That was some mystic shit.
Suddenly, things were coming together.
After dialing things down a bit after my first attempt at 50, it looked like I was ready for 100 yards.
And apparently I was. It was windy as hell, and I wasn't sure how much of that was wind drift, but I still went left a minute just to split the difference.
I only had two shots left, so I decided what I can do in a bit more practical setting. I saw a barely shot up ShootNC target, patched it, and put it up at 100. I then held my rifle at the low ready while standing (no sling, no support) , and did a snap shot. Then I did it again. Luckily, right afterwards, someone wanted to go downrange, so I took the long walk to see how I did. Apparently, I can hit the target from that far fairly quickly, although I'm not sure how that equates to the size of a deer's vitals...
All in all, I had a great range trip, learned some stuff, got to make fun of myself, and I have a new gun. This is a great year!
Thanks,
Carlos
So... I recently decided that I need to learn some new life skills and face new challenges, so I made the decision that I'm going to take up hunting this year. Because shooting, judging distance, comeups, and getting your own food supply are what everyone does when they want a challenge, right?
I went out and got a Ruger Gunsite Scout, because I thought it looked cool, it didn't feel chintzy when I worked the bolt, and it was light (this is the newer, non-laminate version). The trigger felt right, and the rifle called to me, so the decision was made. Oh, and Hornady REALLY did their job marketing their ammo well- I looked around, and was like "Whoa, Deer!" and grabbed a box of Hornady 150gr 308 Whitetail ammo. Boom.
So the only time I can remember zeroing a rifle, he had a laser bore sighter, and we did the process fairly easily. We'll call it idiot proof. This time... not so much. Idiocy was definitely a factor. Even shooting at 25 yards, the first two shots were complete goners. I had no clue where the hell they went. The person next to me must have seen the puzzled look on my face, because he asked what was up. I told him I was trying to zero this new rifle, but couldn't get on paper- even at 25! He asked if I boresighted it, to which I replied I didn't have a laser boresighter. He told me to pull out the bolt, find the target through the barrel, and without moving the rifle AT ALL, look through the scope, and see where the crosshairs are. "Oh.....WAY HIGH."
That was some mystic shit.
Suddenly, things were coming together.
After dialing things down a bit after my first attempt at 50, it looked like I was ready for 100 yards.
And apparently I was. It was windy as hell, and I wasn't sure how much of that was wind drift, but I still went left a minute just to split the difference.
I only had two shots left, so I decided what I can do in a bit more practical setting. I saw a barely shot up ShootNC target, patched it, and put it up at 100. I then held my rifle at the low ready while standing (no sling, no support) , and did a snap shot. Then I did it again. Luckily, right afterwards, someone wanted to go downrange, so I took the long walk to see how I did. Apparently, I can hit the target from that far fairly quickly, although I'm not sure how that equates to the size of a deer's vitals...
All in all, I had a great range trip, learned some stuff, got to make fun of myself, and I have a new gun. This is a great year!
Thanks,
Carlos
